Can Mesenchymal Stem Cells Help Fight Chronic Disease?

Can Mesenchymal Stem Cells Help Fight Chronic Disease?

The term “Chronic Disease” can encompass a wide range of
conditions, but they always involve an ongoing immune response which never turns
off. Long term effects will include inflammation and early cell death, both of which
can trigger these chronic conditions.

Stem cells are the body’s natural defense against chronic
disease, because they can attack the areas of inflammation. But as we get older
we produce significantly less stem cells. This is the main reason for aging and
longer healing times when we get hurt. So how can we produce more mesenchymal stem
cells to help us heal faster?

Normally, the adult stem cells which reside in your body will
zero in on the areas of pain and inflammation, repairing any damage by
transforming themselves into the specific cells that need repair. Once they
have transformed, they stimulate the body to produce more of those same cells. Mesenchymal
stem cells are the true heroes of your immune system. Without them you would
not be able to heal and regenerate properly.

But here is the problem. When we are born, about 1 in every 10,000 cells is a stem cell. It explains how we can heal and recover so fast from injury when we are kids. But as we get older we start to produce fewer stem cells. By the time we hit 50, only one in a million cells are stem cells. Doing the math, it now can take 100 times longer to recover from injury. And there are not enough stem cells to fight all the areas of pain and inflammation in your body.

Thanks to breakthroughs in medical science, we can now use mesenchymal stem cells from another source and inject them into the areas of pain and inflammation in your body. The absolute best source of these mesenchymal stem cells is currently the fatty tissue cells found inside the umbilical cord of a newborn child. Since this umbilical cord is not needed once a baby is born, we can harvest these mesenchymal stem cells and freeze them for later use. And they are compatible with just about any person or blood type, meaning that they may help other people of any age or condition. It seems clear that the future of mesenchymal stem cell injections to help people with pain and inflammation is very bright indeed.